CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the Seminar entitled

“Home Automation” has been submitted by under my
guidance in partial fulfillment of the degree of Bachelor
of Technology in Information Technology Department
of gautam buddh technical university (GBTU) during
the academic year 2012-13 (Semester-V) .

Date:
Place: Lucknow

Guide Head of the Department

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I wish to express my sincere gratitude to Mr. …………..,

H.O.D of IT Department of Saroj Institute Of
Technology and Management , providing me an
opportunity to do my seminar on “Home automation”
I sincerely thank to my seminar guide ………………… for
guidance and encouragement in carrying out this
seminar. Last but not least I wish to avail myself of this
opportunity, express a sense of gratitude and thanks to
my friends and my respected teachers for their
support, strength and for everything.
 INDEX
1. Overview
2. History
3. Classification of domestic network technologies
4. Centralization Control
5. Cost
6. Smart Grid
7. Gate operator
8. Home energy monitor
9. Information Appliance
10. Touch screen
11. Universal Matering Interface
12. Video Conferance
13. Benifits of home automation
Overview

Home automation (also called domotics) is the residential extension of

"building automation". It is automation of the home, housework or household
activity. Home automation may include centralized control of
lighting, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), appliances, and other
systems, to provide improved convenience, comfort, energy efficiency and
security. Home automation for the elderly and disabled can provide increased
quality of life for persons who might otherwise require caregivers or
institutional care.
A home automation system integrates electrical devices in a house with each
other. The techniques employed in home automation include those in building
automation as well as the control of domestic activities, such as home
entertainment systems, houseplant and yard watering, pet feeding, changing
the ambiance "scenes" for different events (such as dinners or parties), and the
use of domestic robots. Devices may be connected through a computer
network to allow control by a personal computer, and may allow remote
access from the internet. Through the integration of information
technologies with the home environment, systems and appliances are able
to communicate in an integrated manner which results in convenience, energy
efficiency, and safety benefits.
Automated homes of the future have been staple exhibits for World's Fairs and
popular backgrounds in science fiction. However, problems with complexity,
competition between vendors, multiple incompatible standards,[1] and the
resulting expense have limited the penetration of home automation to homes
of the wealthy, or ambitious hobbyists. Possibly the first "home computer"
was an experimental home automation system in 1966.

Home automation is where technology and convenience converge, forming a

network made up of individual devices all working together in harmony. This
networked system provides you with instant control over other individual
devices and appliances throughout your home. You dictate how a device
should react, when it should react, and why it should react. You set the
schedule and the rest is automated and based off of your personal preferences
thus providing convenience, control, money savings, and an overall smarter
home.
  Convenience: Control and automate just about every device and
appliance within your home whether you are on location or far away in
entirely different country. Home automation works efficiently for you
saving money on your utilities and providing overall convenience.
 Safety and Security: Always on guard and at the ready, home
automation provides security, safeguarding your home. From a security
camera’s peering eye to a water sensor that will alert you of a possible
costly leak, an automated home security system keeps your property
under surveillance so you can react at a moments notice.
 Fun and Enjoyable: Home automation gets you involved. Set your
personal preferences and actions, then sit back and enjoy using the
latest in home automation technology. Though such technology is quite
complex, it remains completely flexible and user friendly making for a
fun experience.

History
Home automation has been a feature of science fiction writing for many years,
but has only become practical since the early 20th Century following the
widespread introduction of electricity into the home, and the rapid
advancement of information technology. Early remote control devices began
to emerge in the late 1800s. For example, Nikola Tesla patented an idea for
the remote control of vessels and vehicles in 1898.
The emergence of electrical home appliances began between 1915 and 1920;
the decline in domestic servants meant that households needed cheap,
mechanical replacements. Domestic electricity supply, however, was still in its
infancy - meaning this luxury was afforded only the more affluent households.
Ideas similar to modern home automation systems originated during the
World's Fairs of the 1930s. Fairs in Chicago (1934), New York (1939) and
(1964–65), depicted electrified and automated homes. In 1966 Jim Sutherland,
an engineer working for Westinghouse Electric, developed a home automation
system called "ECHO IV"; this was a private project and never
commercialized. The first "wired homes" were built by American hobbyists
during the 1960s, but were limited by the technology of the times. The term
"smart house" was first coined by the American Association of House-builders
in 1984.
With the invention of the microcontroller, the cost of electronic control fell
rapidly. Remote and intelligent control technologies were adopted by the
building services industry and appliance manufacturers worldwide, as they
offer the end user easily accessible and/or greater control of their products.
During the 90s home automation rose to prominence. By the end of the
decade, domotics was commonly used to describe any system in
which informatics and telematics were combined to support activities in the
home. The phrase appears to be a portmanteau word formed
from domus (Latin, meaning house) and informatics, and therefore refers
specifically to the application ofcomputer and robot technologies to domestic
appliances.
Despite interest in home automation, by the end of the 1990s there was not a
widespread uptake - with such systems still considered the domain of
hobbyists or the rich. The lack of a single, simplified, protocol and high cost of
entry has put off consumers.

Classifications of the domestic network technologies:

 Device interconnection:
 ANT (network)
 Bluetooth
 IEEE 1394 interface (FireWire)
 IrDA
 Universal Serial Bus (USB)
 ZigBee
 Control and automation nets:
 BACnet
 SCS BUS with OpenWebNet
 C-Bus (protocol)
 CEBus
 ECHONET
 EnOcean
 EHS
 INSTEON
 KNX (European Installation Bus)
 LonWorks
 ONE-NET
 S-Bus
 Universal Powerline Bus
  VSCP
 X10
 XPL Protocol
 Z-Wave
 ZigBee
 Data nets:
 Ethernet
 Homeplug
 HomePNA
 WiFi

There have been many attempts to standardize the forms of hardware,

electronic and communication interfaces needed to construct a home
automation system. Some standards use additional communication and
control wiring, some embed signals in the existing power circuit of the house,
some use radio frequency (RF) signals, and some use a combination of several
methods. Control wiring is hardest to retrofit into an existing house. Some
appliances include a USB port that is used for control and connection to a
domotics network. Protocol bridges translate information from one standard
to another, e.g., from X10 to European Installation Bus.

Centralization Control:
Besides the upcoming standardization of home automation hardware, there is
also the issue of the control software. In older systems (and some
contemporary ones), the control of each home automation system needed to
be done separately, and there was thus no central control system. This
sometimes led to a great amount of remote controls, one being needed to
control each individual part of the system. However, with the new generation
of home automation systems, central control can be foreseen. Software such
as Fast Track Team Home Personality Software Greeter 1.0 (aka "Cleopatra"),
e-Home Automation allows the control to happen from a single computer or
television screen, and/or even from a smartphone (e.g. iPhone).
 Tasks
1. HVAC
Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) solutions can
include temperature and humidity control, and more commonly in
Europe, fresh air, heating and natural cooling. Home automation
solutions are varied and could include an internet-
controlled thermostat, by allowing the homeowner to control the
building's heating and air conditioning systems remotely, or it
could be linked to windows to allow automated opening and
closing to allow hot air out and cool air in to allow for cooling of
the thermal mass of the house structure. Many systems are
designed to not only provide convenience but to also allow for
better energy efficiency.

2. Lighting
Lighting control systems can be used to control household electric
lights. Examples include:

 Use of motion detectors to automatically extinguish the

lights in a room after occupants have left and turn on the
lights if occupants enter a room
 Extinguishes all the lights of the house at a
predetermined time and data range.
 Turn the light on or off with the use of a remote wireless
device
 Control the brightness of the lights according to the level
of ambient light available, or other criteria
 Change the ambient colour of a room via the lights used
or by using RGB LEDs (mood control)

Natural lighting control involves controlling window shades, LCD

shades, draperies and awnings.
3. Audio Visual:
This category includes audio and video switching and distribution.
Multiple audio or video sources can be selected and distributed to
 one or more rooms and can be linked with lighting and blinds to
provide mood settings.
4. Shading:
Automatic control of blinds and curtains can be used for:
 Privacy
 Presence of simulation
 Temperature control

5. Security:
Control and integration of security systems and also the potential
for central locking of all perimeter doors and windows.[15]
With Home Automation, the consumer can select and
watch cameras live from an Internet source to their home or
business. Security cameras can be controlled, allowing the user to
observe activity around a house or business right from
a Monitor or touch panel. Security systems can include motion
sensors that will detect any kind of unauthorized movement and
notify the user through the security system or via cell phone. This
category also includes control and distribution of
security cameras (see surveillance).
 Intrusion Detectors:
 Motion sensors
 Magnetic contact sensors for doors / windows
 Glass break detectors
 Pressure sensors
 Presence Simulation
 Detection of fire, gas leaks and water leaks (see fire
alarm and gas alarm)
 Medical alert / tele-assistance.
 Precise and safe blind control.
6. Intercoms:
An intercom system allows communication via
a microphone and loud speaker between multiple rooms.
Integration of the intercom to the telephone, or of the video door
entry system to the television set, allowing the residents to view
the door camera automatically.
 7. Domoestic Robotics (domotics):
Journalist Bruno de Latour coined the term domotic in
1984Domotic has been recently introduced in vocabulary as a
composite word of Latin word domus and informatics, or a
contraction of domestic robotics, and it refers to intelligent
houses meaning the use of the automation technologies and
computer science applied to the home.
The Spanish Domótica, French Domotique, Italian Domotica,
Portuguese Domótica and a number of other words in other
languages also derive from Latin word domus and "Robotic",
"Informatic" or "Automatic".
Domotics includes completely automated systems that control
entertainment, heating, broadband, lighting and security from one
of many types of digital computer control devices, panels and
mobile handset. Domotics is used to improve the quality of life
increasing comfort, security and the same time obtaining costs
and energy savings. The term covers a range of applications:

 Domotics is the discipline that investigates how to realize an intelligent

home environment.
 Digital Home as a spectrum of services including home
automation, multimedia, telecommunications, e-commerce, etc. through
wired and wireless networks
 Household devices, appliances, entertainment centers, temperature and
lighting control units, that behave intelligently
 Control and scheduling of Robotic vacuum cleaner.
 Under the domotics umbrella fall home security systems, whole-house
audio or video systems, lights, gates and household LAN
 Domotics and home automation means that systems talk to each other so
that the result is convenience, energy efficiency, and safety
 Control of home robots, using if necessary domotic electric beacon.
 Home robot communication (i.e. using WiFi) with the domotic network and
other home robots.
 Home assistive technologies

8. Other Systems:
Using special hardware, almost any household appliance can be
monitored and controlled automatically or remotely, including:
 Coffeemaker or tea maker (such as the Teasmade)
 Garage door
 Pet feeding and watering
 Plant watering
 Pool pump(s) and heater, hot tub and spa
 Sump Pump

Costs
An automated home can be a very simple grouping of controls, or it can be
heavily automated where any appliance that is plugged into electrical power is
remotely controlled. Costs mainly include equipment, components, furniture,
and custom installation.
Ongoing costs include electricity to run the control systems, maintenance costs
for the control and networking systems, including troubleshooting, and
eventual cost of upgrading as standards change. Increased complexity may also
increase maintenance costs for networked devices.
Learning to use a complex system effectively may take significant time and
training.
Control system security may be difficult and costly to maintain, especially if the
control system extends beyond the home, for instance by wireless or by
connection to the internet or other networks.

Smart Grid
Home automation technologies are viewed as integral additions to the Smart
grid. The ability to control lighting, appliances, HVAC as well as Smart Grid
applications (load shedding, demand response, real-time power usage and
price reporting) will become vital as Smart Grid initiatives are rolled out. Green
Automation is the term coined to describe energy management strategies in
home automation when data from smart grids is combined with home
automation systems to use resources at either their lowest prices or highest
availability, taking advantage, for instance, of high solar panel output in the
middle of the day to automatically run washing machines.
 Organizations
1. CEDIA
 The Custom Electronic Design and Installation
Association (CEDIA) is a global trade association of companies
involved in the electronic systems industry. Founded in 1989,
it has 3,500 members who specialize in home automation,
networking, communication, security, lighting control, HVAC
and entertainment systems. The organization
influences public policy, provides referrals, promotes better
business practices, educates members and provides other
benefits.
 CEDIA hosts three trade shows annually to allow exhibitors to
showcase the latest technological advances to industry
professionals and to offer industry education. CEDIA's US-
based headquarters hosts CEDIA EXPO, which will be held in
Indianapolis in 2011; CEDIA's UK-based office hosts the annual
Home Technology Event in London; and the Australia-based
office hosts an annual CEDIA Expo in Sydney.

2. Continental Automation Buildings Association

The Continental Automated Buildings Association (CABA) is a
not-for-profit industry association dedicated to the advancement
of intelligent home and intelligent building technologies in North
America.
The organization is supported by an international membership of
nearly 400 companies involved in the design, manufacture,
installation and retailing of products relating to home
automation and building automation. Public organizations,
including utilities and government are also members.
CABA's mandate includes providing its members with networking
and market research opportunities. CABA also encourages the
development of industry standards and protocols, and leads cross-
industry initiatives.
The organization was originally founded in 1988 as the Canadian
Automated Buildings Association. The founding members
included Bell Canada, Bell-Northern Research, Ontario
Hydro, Hydro-Québec, Consumers Gas, Canadian Home Builders’
Association, the Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers
 Association of Canada, Industry Canada, Minto Developments
Inc. and the National Research Council of Canada.
In 2006, CABA acquired the Internet Home Alliance, an association
of technology companies committed to research and
development within the intelligent home sector.
3. Living Tomorrow
Living Tomorrow is a research oriented company with projects in
the citiy of Brussels and formally also in Amsterdam. It focuses on
technical innovations we can expact to find in our house in the
near future.
Living Tomorrow is a meeting place for innovative companies to
introduce visitors to products and services that can improve the
quality of living and working in the near future. Social, economic
and technological developments are observed and are converted
into realistic and recognisable applications in the complex. 80% of
the displayed solutions are ready for the market, while 20% are
future-oriented visions.
Living Tomorrow selects carefully leading-edge companies, each
prominent in their field of expertise. Together they integrate their
products, services and technologies in a future oriented way.
Living Tomorrow opened its first 'House of the Future' in 1995,
which immediately attracted attention. After a second successful
project in Belgium, in which the concept evolved into the 'House
and Office of the Future', the first international complex was
opened in Amsterdam in 2003. This grand opening attracted a lot
of media attention. In January 2007 Living Tomorrow opened its
current project 'House, Office and Creative Industries of the
Future' which expand the original home and office concepts to
include extra aspects of a person's lifestyle. The Amsterdam house
was closed in June of 2008. The exhibition in Brussels will remain
in its current form until 2012.
4. European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization
CENELEC (European Committee for Electrotechnical
Standardization) is responsible for European standardization in
the area of electrical engineering. Together
with ETSI (telecommunications) and CEN (other technical areas), it
forms the European system for technical standardization.
 Standards harmonised by these agencies are regularly adopted in
many countries outside Europe which follow European technical
standards.
CENELEC was founded in 1973. Before that two organizations
were responsible for electrotechnical standardization: CENELCOM
and CENEL. CENELEC is a non-profit
organization under Belgian law, based in Brussels. The members
are the national electrotechnical standardization bodies of most
European countries.
The current members of CENELEC are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland,
France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia,
Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland,
Portugal, Romania, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland,
Turkey and the United Kingdom.
Albania, Belarus, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Georgia, Libya, Israel,
Macedonia, Morocco, Serbia, Montenegro, Tunisia and Ukraine
are currently "affiliate members" with a view to becoming full
members.
CENELEC has cooperation agreements with: Canada, PRChina,
South Korea, Japan, informal agreement with the USA and
ongoing discussion on a cooperation agreement with Russia.
Although CENELEC works closely with the European Union, it is
not an EU institution.
5. Digital Living Network Alliance
The (DLNA) is a non-profit collaborative trade
organization established by Sony in June 2003, that is responsible
for defining interoperability guidelines to enable sharing of digital
media such as music, photos and videos between consumer
devices such as computers, TVs, printers, cameras, cell phones,
and other multimedia devices. These guidelines are built upon
existing public standards, but the guidelines themselves are
private (available for a fee). These guidelines specify a set of
restricted ways of using the standards to achieve interoperability.
DLNA uses Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) for media management,
discovery and control. UPnP defines the type of device that DLNA
supports ("server", "renderer", "controller") and the mechanisms
 for accessing media over a network. The DLNA guidelines then
apply a layer of restrictions over the types of media file format,
encodings and resolutions that a device must support.
As of January 2011, over 9,000 different devices have obtained
"DLNA Certified" status, indicated by a logo on their packaging and
confirming their interoperability with other devices. It is estimated
that more than 440 million DLNA-certified devices, from digital
cameras to game consoles and TVs, have been installed in users'
homes.
The DLNA Certified Device Classes are separated as follows:
Home Network Devices:
 Digital Media Server (DMS): These devices store content and make it
available to networked digital media players (DMP) and digital media
renderers (DMR). Examples include PCs andnetwork-attached storage (NAS)
devices.
 Digital Media Player (DMP): These devices find content on digital media
servers (DMS) and provide playback and rendering capabilities. Examples
include TVs, stereos and home theaters, wireless monitors and game
consoles.
 Digital Media Renderer (DMR): These devices play content received from a
digital media controller (DMC), which will find content from a digital media
server (DMS). Examples include TVs, audio/video receivers, video displays
and remote speakers for music.
 Digital Media Controller (DMC): These devices find content on digital media
servers (DMS) and play it on digital media renderers (DMR). Examples
include Internet tablets, Wi-Fi enabled digital cameras and personal digital
assistants (PDAs).
 Digital Media Printer (DMPr): These devices provide printing services to the
DLNA home network. Generally, digital media players (DMP) and digital
media controllers (DMC) with print capability can print to DMPr. Examples
include networked photo printers and networked all-in-one printers
Mobile Handheld Devices
 Mobile Digital Media Server (M-DMS): These wireless devices store content
and make it available to wired/wireless networked mobile digital media
players (M-DMP), digital media renderers (DMR) and digital media printers
(DMPr). Examples include mobile phones and portable music players.
 Mobile Digital Media Player (M-DMP): These wireless devices find and play
content on a digital media server (DMS) or mobile digital media server (M-
DMS). Examples include mobile phones and mobile media tablets designed
for viewing multimedia content.
 Mobile Digital Media Uploader (M-DMU): These wireless devices send
(upload) content to a digital media server (DMS) or mobile digital media
server (M-DMS). Examples include digital cameras and mobile phones.
 Mobile Digital Media Downloader (M-DMD): These wireless devices find
and store (download) content from a digital media server (DMS) or mobile
digital media server (M-DMS). Examples include portable music players and
mobile phones.
 Mobile Digital Media Controller (M-DMC): These wireless devices find
content on a digital media server (DMS) or mobile digital media server (M-
DMS) and send it to digital media renderers (DMR). Examples include
personal digital assistants (PDAs) and mobile phones.
Home Infrastructure Devices
 Mobile Network Connectivity Function (M-NCF): These devices provide a
bridge between mobile handheld device network connectivity and home
network connectivity.
 Media Interoperability Unit (MIU):These devices provide content
transformation between required media formats for home network and
mobile handheld devices.
The specification uses DTCP-IP as "link protection" for copyright-protected
commercial content between one device to another.
 Telematics
Telematics typically is any integrated use
of telecommunications and informatics, also known as ICT (Information and
Communications Technology). Hence the application of telematics is with any
of the following:

 The technology of sending, receiving and storing information via

telecommunication devices in conjunction with affecting control on remote
objects.
 The integrated use of telecommunications and informatics, for application
in vehicles and with control of vehicles on the move.
 Telematics includes but is not limited to Global Positioning
System technology integrated with computers and mobile communications
technology in automotive navigation systems.
 Most narrowly, the term has evolved to refer to the use of such systems
within road vehicles, in which case the term vehicle telematics may be
used.
In contrast telemetry is the transmission of measurements from the location of
origin to the location of computing and consumption, especially without
effecting control on the remote objects. Telemetry is typically applied in
testing of flight objects but has multiple other uses.
Although the majority of devices that integrate telecommunications and
information technology are not vehicles but rather mobile phones and the like,
their use is not included in telematics. Telematics2.0 is an extension of
traditional telematics utilising Smartphone technology within a telematics style
solution.
Practical applications of vehicle telematics
Vehicle tracking
Vehicle tracking is a way of monitoring the location, movements, status and
behaviour of a vehicle or fleet of vehicles. This is achieved through a
combination of a GPS(GNSS) receiver and an electronic device (usually
comprising a GSM GPRS modem or SMS sender) installed in each vehicle,
communicating with the user (dispatching, emergency or co-ordinating unit)
and PC- or web-based software. The data are turned into information by
management reporting tools in conjunction with a visual display on
computerised mapping software. Vehicle tracking systems may also
use odometry or dead reckoning as an alternative or complementary means of
navigation.
GPS tracking is usually accurate to around 10-20 metres[2], but the European
Space Agency has developed the EGNOS technology to provide accuracy to 1.5
metres.
Trailer tracking
Trailer tracking is the technology of tracking the movements and position of an
articulated vehicle's trailer unit, through the use of a location unit fitted to the
trailer and a method of returning the position data via mobile communication
network or geostationary satellite communications, for use through either PC-
or web-based software.
Container tracking
Freight containers can be tracked by GPS using a similar approach to that used
for trailer tracking i.e. a battery-powered GPS device communicating its
position via mobile phone or satellite communications. Benefits of this
approach include increased security and the possibility to reschedule the
container transport movements based on accurate information about its
location.
Cold store
Cold store freight trailers that are used to deliver fresh or frozen foods are
increasingly incorporating telematics to gather time-series data on the
temperature inside the cargo container, both to trigger alarms and record an
audit trail for business purposes. An increasingly sophisticated array of sensors,
many incorporating RFID technology, are being used to ensure that
temperature throughout the cargo remains within food-safety parameters.
Satellite navigation
Satellite navigation in the context of vehicle telematics is the technology of
using a GPS and electronic mapping tool to enable the driver of a vehicle to
locate a position, plan a route and navigate a journey.
Mobile data and mobile television
Mobile data is use of wireless data communications using radio waves to send
and receive real time computer data to, from and between devices used by
field based personnel. These devices can be fitted solely for use while in the
vehicle (Fixed Data Terminal) or for use in and out of the vehicle (Mobile Data
Terminal). See mobile Internet.
Mobile data can be used to receive TV channels and programs, in a similar way
to mobile phones, but using LCD TV devices.
Intelligent vehicle technologies
Telematics comprise electronic, electromechanical, and electromagnetic
devices — usually silicon micro machined components operating in
conjunction with computer controlled devices and radio transceivers to
provide precision repeatability functions (such as in robotics artificial
intelligence systems) emergency warning validation performance
reconstruction.
Intelligent vehicle technologies commonly apply to car safety systems and self-
contained autonomous electromechanical sensors generating warnings that
can be transmitted within a specified targeted area of interest, say within 100
meters of the emergency warning system for vehicles transceiver. In ground
applications, intelligent vehicle technologies are utilized for safety and
commercial communications between vehicles or between a vehicle and a
sensor along the road.
On November 3, 2009 the most advanced Intelligent Vehicle concept car was
demonstrated in New York City. A 2010 Toyota Prius became the first LTE
Connected Car. The demonstration was provided by the NG Connect project, a
collaboration of automotive telematic technologies designed to exploit in-car
4G wireless network connectivity.

Gate Operators
A gate operator is a mechanical device used to open and close a gate, such as
one at the end of a driveway. There are two main types of electric gate
openers hydraulic or electromechanical; these can be further split into the
following categories, worm (or screw) driven, arm openers and underground
openers. Automatic and Electric Gate operators are designed for both swinging
and sliding gates. They can be programmed to open and close with a wireless
transmitter or a manual device. Low Voltage Automatic Gate openers can also
be fitted with solar panels to ensure function during loss of electricity or
blackouts.
Mechanical
Drawing power from the mains to open a driveway gate. Generally there are
four types of electromechanical gate operator: Worm driven (or screw type)
swing gates, barrier arm operators and sliding operators Electric and automatic
gate openers are designed for both sliding and swinging gates. They can be
programmed to open with a manual device or a wireless transmitter.
Automatic gate operators can also be fitted with solar panels to operate
without high voltage power. Many manufacturers offer battery backup either
integrated or as an add on to systems that ensure function during loss of
electricity.
Hydraulic
These are used to automatically open an electric driveway gate. As the name
implies they use hydraulic fluids to operate their motion. Typically hydraulic
operators have less moving parts than mechanical operators. The hydraulic
motors have a number of advantages when operating gates; they are capable
of producing more power than mechanical motors and do not have to work at
full power when operating large gates, they can be made non locking to avoid
damage when hit by vehicles relying on other forms of locking. Hydraulic
operators are prone to damage to internal seals caused by high pressure from
vehicular collision but this damage can be repaired.

Home Energy Monitor

A home energy monitor provides prompt, convenient feedback on electrical or
other energy use. Devices may also display cost of energy used, and estimates
of greenhouse gas emissions. Various studies have shown a reduction in home
energy use of 4-15% through use of home energy display.
Electricity use may be measured with an inductive clamp placed around the
electric main, via the electric meter (either through an optical port, or by
sensing the meters actions), by communicating with a smart meter, or by
direct connection to the electrical system. The display portion may be remote
from the measurement, communicating with the sensor using a cable,
network, power line communications, or using radio. Online displays are also
available which allow the user to use an internet connected display to show
near real-time consumption.
A possible means to reduce household energy consumption is to provide real-
time feedback to homeowners so they can change their energy using behavior.
Recently, low-cost energy feedback displays, have become available. In 2010,
UK based Current Cost announced a partnership with Google PowerMeter, a
free online tool that connects to Current Cost devices, enabling users to
receive real-time energy information on their customised Google homepage,
wherever they are. Real-time data on how much energy is being consumed in
the home is sent directly to the Google PowerMeter. The free software tool
then visualises the information for users to view on their own iGoogle
homepage, a personal web portal which enables individuals to create and
access a wide range of customisable information, web feeds and Google
Gadgets. Note Google Power Meter is now defunct.
A study using the PowerCost Monitor deployed in 500 Ontario homes by Hydro
One showed an average 6.5% drop in total electricity use when compared with
a similarly sized control group.Hydro One subsequently offered free power
monitors to 30,000 customers based on the success of the pilot. Blue Line
Innovations also indicates 100,000 units in the market today.
Another study carried out in the city of Sabadell (Spain) in 2009 using the
energy e2 in 29 households during a six-month period came to 11.8% on a
weekly comparison between the first and last weeks of the campaign. On a
monthly basis, the savings were 14.3%. Expected annual CO2 savings for all
households is estimated to be 4.1 tonnes; projected CO2 emissions savings for
2020 are 180.6 tonnes.
In January 2009 the government of the state of Queensland, Australia began
offering wireless energy monitors as part of its ClimateSmart Home Service
program. By August 2009, almost 100,000 homes had signed up for the service,
by August 2010 that number had risen to 200,000 homes.
Information Aplliance
In general terms, an information appliance or information device is
any machine or device that is usable for the purposes
of computing,telecommunicating, reproducing
and presenting encoded information in myriad forms and applications. The
common technical usage of "information appliance" (IA) is more specific —
i.e., an appliance that is specially designed to perform a specific user-
friendly function —such asplaying music, photography, or editing text.
Typical examples are smartphones and personal digital assistants (PDAs).
Information appliances partially overlap in definition with, or are
sometimesreferred to as smart devices, embedded systems, mobile devices or
wireless devices.
Appliance vs Computer
The term information appliance was coined by JefRaskin around 1979. As later
explained by Donald Norman in his influential The Invisible Computer, the main
characteristics of IA, as opposed to any normal computer, were:

 designed and pre-configured for a single application (like a toaster

appliance, which is designed only to make toast),
 so easy to use for untrained people, that it effectively becomes
unnoticeable, "invisible" to them,
 able to automatically share information with any other IAs.
This definition of IA was different from todays. JefRaskin initially tried to
include such features in the Apple Macintosh, which he designed, but
eventually the project went a quite different way. For a short while during the
mid- and late 1980s, there were a few models of simple
electronic typewriters with screens and some form of memory storage. These
dedicated word processor machines had some of the attributes of an
information appliance, and Raskin designed one of them, the Canon Cat. He
described some properties of his definition of information appliance in his
book The Humane Interface.
Larry Ellison, Oracle Corporation CEO, predicted that information appliances
and network computers would supersede personal computers (PCs). This
prediction has not yet come true.
Walled Gardens versus Open Standards
In an ideal world, any true information appliance would be able to
communicate with any other information appliance using open
standard protocols and technologies, regardless of the maker of the software
or the hardware. The communications aspects and all user interface elements
would be designed together so that a user could switch seamlessly from one
information appliance to another.
Some vendors are attempting to create "walled gardens" of closed proprietary
content for information appliances, leveraging existing proprietary
technologies. However, with the exception of NTT DoCoMo's i-mode, these
efforts have been less successful than predicted, due to the willingness of most
vendors to work together within open standards frameworks, and the pre-
existing widespread adoption of open standards such
as GSM, IP, SMS and SMTP.
 Touchscreens
A touchscreen is an electronic visual display that can detect the presence and
location of a touch within the display area. The term generally refers to
touching the display of the device with a finger or hand. Touchscreens can also
sense other passive objects, such as a stylus. Touchscreens are common in
devices such as game consoles, all-in-one computers, tablet computers,
and smartphones.
The touchscreen has two main attributes. First, it enables one to interact
directly with what is displayed, rather than indirectly with a pointer controlled
by a mouse or touchpad. Secondly, it lets one do so without requiring any
intermediate device that would need to be held in the hand (other than
astylus, which is optional for most modern touchscreens). Such displays can be
attached to computers, or to networks as terminals. They also play a
prominent role in the design of digital appliances such as the personal digital
assistant (PDA), satellite navigation devices, mobile phones, and video games.
The popularity of smartphones, tablet computers and many types
of information appliances is driving the demand and acceptance of common
touchscreens for portable and functional electronics. With a display of a simple
smooth surface, and direct interaction without any hardware
(keyboardor mouse) between the user and content, fewer accessories are
required. Touchscreens are popular in the medical field, and in heavy industry,
as well as kiosks such as museum displays or room automation,
where keyboard and mouse systems do not allow a suitably intuitive, rapid, or
accurate interaction by the user with the display's content.
Historically, the touchscreen sensor and its accompanying controller-based
firmware have been made available by a wide array of after-market system
integrators, and not by display, chip, or motherboard manufacturers. Display
manufacturers and chip manufacturers worldwide have acknowledged the
trend toward acceptance of touchscreens as a highly desirable user
interface component and have begun to integrate touchscreens into the
fundamental design of their products.
Fingernail versus Stylus
These ergonomic issues of direct touch can be bypassed by using a different
technique, provided that the user's fingernails are either short or sufficiently
long. Rather than pressing with the soft skin of an outstretched fingertip, the
finger is curled over, so that the tip of a fingernail can be used instead. This
method does not work on capacitive touchscreens.
The fingernail's hard, curved surface contacts the touchscreen at one very
small point. Therefore, much less finger pressure is needed, much greater
precision is possible (approaching that of a stylus, with a little experience),
much less skin oil is smeared onto the screen, and the fingernail can be silently
moved across the screen with very little resistance, allowing for selecting text,
moving windows, or drawing lines.
The human fingernail consists of keratin which has a hardness and smoothness
similar to the tip of a stylus (and so will not typically scratch a touchscreen).
Alternatively, very short stylus tips are available, which slip right onto the end
of a finger; this increases visibility of the contact point with the screen.
Fingerprints
Touchscreens can suffer from the problem of fingerprints on the display. This
can be mitigated by the use of materials with optical coatings designed to
reduce the visible effects of fingerprint oils, or oleophobic coatings as used in
the iPhone 3GS, which lessen the actual amount of oil residue, or by installing a
matte-finish anti-glare screen protector, which creates a slightly roughened
surface that does not easily retain smudges, or by reducing skin contact by
using a fingernail or stylus.
Combined with haptics
Touchscreens are often used with haptic response systems. An example of this
technology would be a system that caused the device to vibrate when a button
on the touchscreen was tapped. The user experience with touchscreens lacking
tactile feedback or haptics can be difficult due to latency or other factors.
Research from the University of Glasgow Scotland [Brewster, Chohan, and
Brown 2007 and more recently Hogan] demonstrates that sample users reduce
input errors (20%), increase input speed (20%), and lower their cognitive load
(40%) when touchscreens are combined with haptics or tactile feedback [vs.
non-haptic touchscreens].
"Gorilla arm"
The Jargon File dictionary of hacker slang defined "gorilla arm" as the failure to
understand the ergonomics of vertically mounted touchscreens for prolonged
use. By this proposition the human arm held in an unsupported horizontal
position rapidly becomes fatigued and painful, the so-called "gorilla arm". It is
often cited as a prima facie example of what not to do in ergonomics. Vertical
touchscreens still dominate in applications such as ATMs and data kiosks in
which the usage is too brief to be an ergonomic problem.
Discomfort might be caused by previous poor posture and atrophied muscular
systems caused by limited physical exercise.
Development
Most touchscreen patents were filed during the 1970s and 1980s and have
expired. Touchscreen component manufacturing and product design are no
longer encumbered by royalties or legalities with regard to patents and the use
of touchscreen-enabled displays is widespread.
The development of multipoint touchscreens facilitated the tracking of more
than one finger on the screen; thus, operations that require more than one
finger are possible. These devices also allow multiple users to interact with the
touchscreen simultaneously.
With the growing use of touchscreens, the marginal cost of touchscreen
technology is routinely absorbed into the products that incorporate it and is
nearly eliminated. Touchscreens now have proven reliability. Thus,
touchscreen displays are found today in airplanes, automobiles, gaming
consoles, machine control systems, appliances, and handheld display devices
including theNintendo DS and multi-touch enabled cellphones; the
touchscreen market for mobile devices is projected to produce US$5 billion in
2009.
The ability to accurately point on the screen itself is also advancing with the
emerging graphics tablet/screen hybrids.
TapSense, announced in October 2011, allows touchscreens to distinguish
what part of the hand was used for input, such as the fingertip, knuckle and
fingernail. This could be used in a variety of ways, for example, to copy and
paste, to capitalize letters, to active different drawing modes, and similar.
 Universal Metering Interface
UMI (Universal Metering Interface) is a set of 3 free open specifications for
smart metering and smart home products. The UMI specifications define; a
module interface based on SPI, an optical communications interface based on
EN62056-21 (FLAG port) and a security interface based on ECC-256 and AES-
128. The UMI interfaces are used in utility meters (electricity, gas, water, heat),
displays, gateways and appliances.
Overview
The aim of UMI is to provide a universal ultra-lower power interface between a
smart metering device and one or more communication modules. A smart
metering device could be a:

 smart meter (e.g. gas, electricity, water, heat)

 hub e.g. MUC (Multi Utility Communications)
 gateway (e.g. from LAN to WAN)
 home energy monitor/display
 'smart' or home automation appliances
 head end computer (as a virtual UMI device)
Communication modules can developed for a number of wired and wireless
communication standards, including but not exhaustively:

 Bluetooth and Bluetooth low energy

 Dect
 GSM
 KNX
 M-Bus (Wireless and Wired)
 PLC
 Wi-Fi
 Z-Wave
 ZigBee (at 2.4 GHz or 868 MHz)
 Wavenis
The UMI topology is a star network similar to USB but much lower power
making it suitable for battery powered devices such as gas or water
meters. The system comprises a host and up to 15 peripherals connected
through the physical layer of a 10-pin ultra-low power IDC.
Smart Meter Roll-out
In 2009 the United Kingdom the Department of Energy and Climate
Change announced its intention to have smart meters in every home
(approximately 22 million gas and 26 million electricity meters) by
2020. Similar plans exist for many other European nations.
However, many of the communication standards within the 'smart network'
are yet to be decided, due to fears that with any single standard there is not
enough experience with regard to long-term stability, or uncertainty of its
performance in mass applications, or open questions concerning battery life.
This leads some to view "communications as the Achilles' heel of the entire
system".
UMI provides a single, universal connector separating the functions of
the smart grid device and its communication modules. UMI allows for the
development and mass production of smart meters and smart grid devices
before the communication standards are fixed, with the relevant
communications modules being easily added or exchanged when the standards
are stable. This lowers the risk of investing in the wrong standard and permits
a single product to be used over a large region (e.g. Europe or USA) even if
other requirements and standards (e.g. communications, security) vary for
smaller regions (e.g. countries or states).
Open Standard
UMI is an open standard and available without licensing fees. The
responsibility for maintaining and publishing the UMI standard is performed by
a collection of companies grouped as the UMI Alliance. The UMI Alliance will
be formed as an independent, not-for-profit organisation when the members
want it.
 Video Commerce
Video Commerce, Video e-Commerce or eCommerce Video is the practice of
using video content to promote, sell and support commercial products or
services on the Internet. The video can be downloaded and played
or streamed to the viewer. Either way, the video often contains clickable links
which can open up a web page or a transaction process.
The end goal is to convert a shopper into a customer, but conversion is not the
only metric as View Through Rate (VTR) is a common measurement. Some
merchants realize additional benefit such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
A typical video commerce application would involve a video which contains a
number of clickable objects so that the viewer can click on any of those objects
for further information or to purchase them. However, the clickable object
may not always be within the video itself, but part of
the Flash or HTML5 player used to play back the video.
Video commerce can take place over any Internet-enabled communications
device – a Personal Computer, a laptop, a PDA, a mobile phone, or a smart
phone.
 Benefits of Home Automation
Home automation refers to the use of computer and information technology
to control home appliances and features (such as windows or lighting).
Systems can range from simple remote control of lighting through to complex
computer/micro-controller based networks with varying degrees of
intelligence and automation. Home automation is adopted for reasons of ease,
security and energy efficiency.
In modern construction in industrialized nations, most homes have been wired
for electrical power, telephones, TV outlets (cable or antenna), and a doorbell.
Many household tasks were automated by the development of specialized
appliances. For instance, automatic washing machines were developed to
reduce the manual labor of cleaning clothes, and water heaters reduced the
labor necessary for bathing.
Other traditional household tasks, like food preservation and preparation have
been automated in large extent by moving them into factory settings, with the
development of pre-made, pre-packaged foods, and in some countries, such as
the United States, increased reliance on commercial food preparation services,
such as fast food restaurants. Volume production and the factory setting
allows forms of automation that would be impractical or too costly in a home
setting. Standardized foods enable possible further automation of handling the
food within the home.
The use of gaseous or liquid fuels, and later the use of electricity enabled
increased automation in heating, reducing the labor necessary to manually
refuel heaters and stoves. Development ofthermostats allowed more
automated control of heating, and later cooling.
As the number of controllable devices in the home rises, interconnection and
communication becomes a useful and desirable feature. For example, a
furnace can send an alert message when it needs cleaning, or a refrigerator
when it needs service. Rooms will become "intelligent" and will send signals to
the controller when someone enters. If no one is supposed to be home and the
alarm system is set, the system could call the owner, or the neighbours, or
an emergency number.
In simple installations, domotics may be as straightforward as turning on the
lights when a person enters the room. In advanced installations, rooms can
sense not only the presence of a person inside but know who that person is
and perhaps set appropriate lighting, temperature, music levels or television
channels, taking into account the day of the week, the time of day, and other
factors.
Other automated tasks may include setting the HVAC to an energy
saving setting when the house is unoccupied, and restoring the normal setting
when an occupant is about to return. More sophisticated systems can maintain
an inventory of products, recording their usage through bar codes, or
an RFID tag, and prepare a shopping list or even automatically order
replacements.
Home automation can also provide a remote interface to home appliances or
the automation system itself, via telephone line, wireless transmission or the
internet, to provide control and monitoring via a smartphone or web browser.
An example of remote monitoring in home automation could be triggered
when a smoke detector detects a fire or smoke condition, causing all lights in
the house to blink to alert any occupants of the house to the possible
emergency. If the house is equipped with a home theater, a home automation
system can shut down all audio and video components to avoid distractions, or
make an audible announcement. The system could also call the home owner
on their mobile phone to alert them, or call the fire department or alarm
monitoring company.
In terms of lighting control, it is possible to save energy when installing various
products. Simple functions such as motion sensors and detectors integrated
into a relatively simple home automation system can save hours of wasted
energy in both residential and commercial applications. For example imagine
an auto on/off at night time in all major city office buildings, say after 10pm.
When no motion is detected, lights shut down, and the owner could save
kilowatts of wasted overnight energy. Similar controls on HVAC (Heating
Ventilation and Air Conditioning)in buildings could save even more energy.